Wicked Game
by Wyatt Cascade
Summary: 120 years in the future, the Holy Grail War still continues it's vicious cycle. However, due to the betray of Kirei, the rules are now all in a shamble, and two servants of the same class can be summoned. Kane Tohsaka has summoned the two lancers, and must now fight to defend his own life and to correct the errors of his past.
1. Chapter 1

The setting sun cast a red light though the mansion's window, accentuating the flickering light of the candles. A young man sat at the edge of a summoning circle. A red symbol marked into the back of each hand. Before him were his catalysts. He reached to the side, a stained bandage clear upon each arm, dark smears below each eye. Mages had to use some form of liquid power to give their servants form. Most used blood. He great grandmother had used pure liquid mana, or so he was told. The young man had also seen the blood of chickens and even humans used. But he refused to use another creatures life to empower his own. So he had spend many days painstakingly draining his own. It was likely he would have the scars permanently. But that didn't matter much to him. He poured two bowls of thick viscous blood onto the floor.

"Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill, repeat five times, but when each is filled, destroy it." He raised both hands over the circle. He took a slow breath.

"And I call out to the betrayed sons whose unshed tears fall not upon the shoulders of women who would double cross them. Thine blood is spent, spilled upon wasted breaths. Thoust whose wine is poisoned, and thoust who slayeth the hound. And they will see in thine eyes, the storm clouds of a bitter sky which withholds the rain so desired by the children who shunned it. Come forth, and fear no darkness! Bind thine blades to me, that my hands may guide you on your path to recompense!"

Lightning radiated out from the circle, accompanied by a puff of fog billowing forth from the ground. Two figures emerged from the cloud, looking upon their master.

"Are you worthy, to be my lord?"

"I seek to correct my own trespass, against the laws of this world." The man said, his voice wavering slightly.

"Consider our pact now set in stone."

The you man swayed slightly, his mana completely drained by the ritual. His vision faded to black as his consciousness checked out of this world.

When he woke, a dingy grey light was slanting through his bedroom window. It was probably early morning. A voice from an invisible source echoed through the room.

"You're awake then? Took you long enough. You talk in your sleep, you know."

He tensed. "What did I say?"

"Just the name of a girl. It's none of my business."

The young man rubbed an eye, thanking his past self for choosing an honor bound servant instead of one that would rebel against him, for poke around in his personal business.

"I don't believe we ever exchanged names." A second voice.

The man sat up in bed. "I already know you names. I chose very specifically when I summoned."

"I will introduce myself anyway." The first voice. A tall, wiry man with dark hair materialized by the window. "Diarmuid Ua Duibhne."

The second figure materialized by the door. He was also wiry, be considerably shorter, in a near dainty way. "Cu Chulainn." But call me whatever you wish.

The young man nodded. "Kane Tohsaka."

"Tohsaka?" The shorter one spoke. "Tell me boy, whatever happened to Rin?"

"She grew old, died. Happily married Shirou."

"Shirou... Emiya?"

"Yes?"

"That loser?" Cu Chulainn laughed. "Good on him."

Diarmuid spoke. "If I might ask, with no intention of overstepping my boundaries, why do you seek the grail? What purpose would you have it serve?"

Kane looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it."

The two servants were silent.

"But if you must know, in the past, I made a mistake. I'd like to undo it."

Cu Chulainn snorted. "Let the past remain in the past. The future is what should concern you."

"Cu Chulainn!" Diarmuid snapped "Enough!"

Cu Chulainn gave an easy roll of his shoulders. "Fine, whatever floats your boat. I'm just saying."

"Well don't." Diarmuid retorted.

More silence echoed about the room. Kane stared at the burgundy curtains in silence. This house had been in his family for hundreds of years. But if he were to be completely honest? It was never home to him. It was far too empty.

Diarmuid cleared his throat, disrupting Kane's train of thought. "Sir, do we have a plan of action for retrieving the grail?"

Kane blinked, running his fingers through pink and blue hair. "Sir is unnecessary, Kane will do."

"Very Well."

"As to your other question..." Kane trailed off, gathering his thoughts. "Let's first look over who the other masters are. Before attacking anyone, I'd like to gather allies."

"Well, the kid has logic, I'll give him that." Cu Chulainn drawled, before pushing himself away from the wall and stepping forward as Kane drew a file from the drawer in his bedside table.

"So far, only a few masters have come forward. The Sabers, Assassins, Berserkers, and Casters have been summoned, with only the Archers and Riders left to enter play." Kane tapped a photo of a teenaged boy with clear native american heritage with a pencil. "This is Abeytu, he summoned the sabers, he's a friend. I'd like to try and ally with him, first." Kane turned the page. "This woman," Kane tapped a picture of an elderly woman, "doesn't seem like much of a threat, but she did summon the berserkers, so we must watch our step with her. In all the records I've read, the masters of berserkers have been the most unstable and dangerous. I don't trust her as an ally." Kane flipped another page, to reveal a picture of a very young girl. "From what I gather, this is Saika. She's young, possibly inexperienced. She summoned the casters. Now, I know the caster class has built up a good deal of bad rep in the past, but I'd like to try and help her out, at least in the beginning. She doesn't seem to be a bad kid, and I can't just stand by and let her die."

Diarmuid nodded his approval.

Cu Chulainn smirked. "You're much softer than my last master. I like it."

Kane disregarded the comment. "However..." He turned to the last page. "I can't get a lock on the master of the Assassins. Somehow, my magic, at least indirectly, bends around her, I can see her surroundings, and her servants, but not her herself. It's like she's some sort of prism, and it's considerably unnerving. I don't like it one bit."

Cu Chulainn quirked an eyebrow. "How do you know she's a girl?"

Kane shrugged. "Just a hunch really. But whatever her gender, she's a threat. her servants are not the friendly type."

"When has Assassin ever been friendly?" Diarmuid joked.

Kane remained serious. "No, really, one of them doesn't even look human, and the other, it moves like a shadow, and whenever I try to scry on her, it's staring right at me, as if it knows I'm watching. But, I can't see it's eyes. If it even has eyes." Kane shuddered.

Diarmuid nodded "Either way, it's clear we have to wait for the last two masters to summon their servants before we make a move." Kane bobbed his head in agreement.

A hissing lilt of a voice broke through the silent darkness of the cave. "Where are you, my pets?" Two beings darted out of the shadows. Beings, or... Creatures.

"Apple?" The first one gurgled as it shambled towards the voice on all fours.

"Yes Sweetie Bear, lots and lots of apples." The voice cooed. A huge burlap sack full of apples was placed on the ground, it's contents spilling out, rolling and thudding about chaotically. The creature scrambled after them, gathering them all to itself and gurgling happily.

The second being was only distinguishable from the darkness by the bright red scarf about it's neck. "And what about you Dear, was there anything you wanted?"

The Being was silent for a time, as if processing the words. Then extended it's hands, the long, draping sleeves falling away to reveal scarred and mutilated hands, it's fingers were far too long, and tapered into deadly metal claws, while the rest of it's skin had everything from glass, nails, and fish hooks stabbed and sewn into it. It's right hand had a scalpel stabbed clean through the palm. When it finally spoke, the voice that came out was that of a child, despite the fact that the being was well over six feet tall. "Riiiiiip?" It whispered, reaching for something only it could see.

"I hope this will suffice," The voice stated, dropping a heavy object to the ground.

The Shadowy being crouched, and pulled the sheet away from the thing. Revealing the corpse of a middle aged man. It gave a shriek of what could only be described as some form of horrific, twisted joy, and tore into the body with it's barbed fingers.

A young woman sat in front of her computer, her fingers ticking away at the keys. She tapped a few more buttons, and then looked back at her work, changed a few words, and hit send. She had discovered recently, that her family had a long history of bloodshed. And that it was all due to the mysterious Holy Grail wars. The curiosity had set her on fire, like curiosity about anything generally did. She'd been researching for months, now finally clear on why she could move things with a word or thought, make a flower bloom or die with a touch.

Her two contacts were in Britain and Transylvania. And both had a powerful object that she needed. They were not aware of the value of what they held, and were easily tricked by a mysterious online entity with a little hypnosis on her side. According to both contacts, the packages she had sent for ought to be arriving today. The girl looked at the clock. 4:44 pm. Her shift was almost over. She pushed away from her desk, smiling at her coworkers, and gathered her things before stepping out and catching the fasted train home.

As she arrived, she found two boxes on her doorstep. Unlocking the door, she dragged them into her apartment. She kept her keys out of her pocket, using them to saw through the tape on the boxes, and opening them up. In the large one, was an ancient wooden longbow. It didn't look like much but it would serve her purposes, if her research was correct. The smaller box contained a beaten hat with a wide, floppy brim. She gingerly picked up both objects, walking slowly into the kitchen. She opened the fridge, pulling out the tupperware full of blood that she had prepared that morning. The Ritual had called for fresh, but she hoped this would do. She straightened, brushing her hands off on her jeans, and bit her lip, tugging open the junk drawer and pulling out a piece of chalk, opening the book she had found to page 15, and using the picture there as a reference to draw out the circle. When she was finished, she stood, rubbing her hands together and slowly pouring the blood onto the floor. She glanced at the wall opposite her, pursing her lips and hoping that if this made any noise, it wouldn't anger her neighbors. She took a deep breath, relaxing, and pressing one hand to her forearm, holding the free hand out towards the circle. She took one more breath, hoping the lines she had chosen were correct.

"And I call out to the hearts of the Guardians of the Weak, those who would fight for the women, and children, the families, that live in fear during times of evil, while the land is under the dark reign of an unfit king. I cry for the help of those who would linger in the shadows, the helping hand that the would remain shrouded, the smile that hides beneath the hood, and the one who would not see the blood of women spilled before him. And though they might walk through the valley of shadow of death, they would fear no evil, for my light would be there to guide them!"

The words rolled from her tongue easily, but she did not feel relief as the smoke billowed out from the center of the circle and lightning crackled about her feet. She bit down on her lip again, holding a hand in front of her eyes as a burst of light nearly blinded her, and two figures stepped out of the doorway from another realm.

A redheaded man, slight of build and on the small side, winked at her. "I didn't catch your name, miss."

The other figure, was a taller, more muscular man, dressed in dark colors. A wide brimmed hat shielded his eyes, and many belts and pouches covered his figure. A burgundy lined cloak fluttered from his shoulders. He curled his lip. His voice was raspy and rough, almost as if his vocal cords had been damaged. "Tch. What does it matter? We have a job to do."

"You, ARE the archer class, aren't you?" The girl asked, uncertain.

The redhead threw his arms out to the sides as if showing himself off. "The one and only. And then there's him. He's the grumpy class."

The second man disregarded her question, clicking his tongue. "Figures. I get stuck with the Amateur."

The girl tried not to be offended by his comment. "Well, my name is Giselle. And you'll be following MY orders for the remainder of this Holy Grail war. So you better get used to it."

The redhead knelt, capturing her hand as his voice dropped to a sultry purr. "Oh trust me Miss, I'm already used to it."

Giselle turned a bright pink color. "Just Giselle is fine."

The redhead smirked. "As my lady demands."

The second man curled his lip again. "Get a room you two. I have an immortal being to slay."

Damascus Velvet sat in class, sulking as he rolled his pencil back and forth across his desk. History was sooooo boring. Especially since today was about his great great grandfather. He was the family's pride, and Damascus was sick of growing up in his granddad's shadow. He'd been told all his life, "You may be good, but you'll never be Waver Velvet." Damascus let out an obnoxious sigh.

"Damascus!" The Professor quipped. "You should have more respect! This is YOUR grandfather we are speaking of."

Damascus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"Wait in the hall!" The teacher said, irritably.

Damascus picked up his backpack. "Thank you." He said sarcastically. And left the room.

"Leave your stuff here!"

"No thanks Champ."

"DAMASCUS VELVET."

"Just Mask is great, thanks." Damascus tossed over his shoulder, not slowing down or setting down his bag.

"If you refuse to respect me, I will have to send you to the principal!"

"Screw you."

"That is it! Get back here right now!"

Damascus pushed open the door. "Oh, hm. Let me think about it. ...Nope. Bye." He let the door swing closed behind him.

"...Damn." One of the male students muttered.

"Do you think he'd go out with me?" One girl whispered to her friend.

"SILENCE." The teacher barked.

The class immediately fell silent. The teacher was also quiet for a few moments. "You know what? I quit. You can all go home."

The class cheered, and gathered their stuff as they left.

As he opened the door and dropped his bag to the ground, Damascus found himself being dragged down to the basement by his younger twin sisters. "He's home!" They shouted.

"Oh wonderful!" came the muffled voice of his grandfather from downstairs.

Mask struggled in vain. Damn them and their Martial Arts classes. "What's going on?!"

His uncle spoke up as his sisters deposited him on the ground. "The next Holy Grail war is upon us."

Damascus paled.

"And no one has summoned the Rider class yet."

"Grandfather, No." Damascus protested.

"Damascus Velvet, you owe this family. It is our legacy. Each generation since Waver has summoned the rider, and fought in the war."

"AND MOST OF THEM ARE DEAD! Grandfather! Uncle! I want no part in this!"

"Damascus, you are a delinquent, with massive unrealized capabilities. Would you squander them to go and live the life of a normal human?"

"YES! Uncle, God! I don't want to die in this stupid war! I want a wife! I want children! I want to grow old. I want nothing to do with magic!"

"Damascus." His mother descended the stairs.

Mask lowered his head in shame.

His mother continued. "You know your father would take your place if he could. But please. For me?"

Damascus' father had died just a few years earlier to cancer. It was pathetic to know, with all this so called "Magic" there was nothing that could have saved his father.

Damascus closed his eyes, and turned to face the summoning circle behind him. He pressed his right hand to his left forearm. When he moved his hand, he curled the fingers into his palm and tensed his muscles, letting his blood drip onto the floor. "I trust you prepared catalysts and a summoning verse for me?"

His Uncle presented him with a spear and an arrow. Damascus healed the gash on his arm, then took the two catalysts, and laid them at his knees, taking the paper proffered to him by his grandfather, and reading the verse from it, his voice shaking with his defeat.

"I summon thoust who would come forward, to lead the people who would be lost, wandering in the dark, without a hero to look to for direction. I seek thou who is a queen, thou who would not be hindered by any blade. Thou who sought only the light, and to lead as shepherds the powerful of the masses into battle against the darkness." His voice broke. "Come forth, and guide this lost lamb into better light than he was born into."

Damascus hardly noticed the burst of steam and the crackle of static in the air. He simply stared at the paper in his hands, broken and defeated. To figures took form in the cloud.

One, a redheaded woman, with blue paint in tribal patterned across all of her visible skin. The second a tan, muscular man with dark hair, and roman armor.

"Who is it that calls us from the void?" The woman asked.

"Damascus Velvet." Mask stated, in a defeated tone.

"Boy! Do not speak like that!" The man nearly shouted. Damascus didn't react. "You sound as if we have already lost. Stand up!" The man picked Damascus up by his shirt and dragged him to his feet.

"Yeah, whatever you want." Mask pushed his hand away, and climbed the stairs, disappearing into his room.

"That didn't go quite the way-" One twin started, "I pictured it." The second finished.


	2. Chapter 2

The images flickered through his head chaotically. Kane. A beautiful, but shy, young woman. A scornful voice. "I could never love someone, like you." A gunshot. Hands covered in blood. Kane's scream.

Diarmuid opened his eyes. Normally, servants like himself, did not need sleep, as they were supplied with mana by their masters. But he found it an excellent way to pass time, and since two masters were yet to summon servants, it was unlikely, but not impossible, that someone would attack. That's why he'd chosen to sleep on the roof. Higher up, he had a better sense of the area, and if something was off, it probably would have woken him up.

Kane's voice pervaded his thoughts. "The two missing masters have made themselves known. Meeting please."

Diarmuid dematerialized, reappearing by Kane's side. He couldn't help but be curious about his dream, but he kept it to himself. It wasn't his business. Kane gestured to the laptop he had balanced on his knees.

"Giselle Matou, and Damascus Velvet. You probably remember their families from the Wars you were in. The Velvet name is more recently renowned, but the Matous have been there since day one."

Diarmuid nodded. Cu Chulainn curled his lip. "Matou. I'm familiar with the name. What a disgusting legacy."

Kane nodded slowly. "However, I think Giselle is unaware of the atrocities committed by her forefathers. Around 150 years ago, the Matou's bloodline became diluted, their capability to use magic was dulled. They adopted one of the Tohsaka daughters in order to renew the line. All I can think, however, is that she was raised unaware that she had magic. At some point, her parents must have escaped, and raised her as a normal human."

Diarmuid quirked an eyebrow. "Tohsaka? but wouldn't that make her…"

Kane finished his sentence. "Related to me? Yes. Although distantly."

"What about this Velvet boy? Ally? Threat?" Cu Chulainn interjected.

Kane switched tabs. "It's hard to get a read on him. His school history marks him as a delinquent, and yet, his grades are through the roof. He might be a wild card. But I say we try to make an ally of him if possible."

"And how should we go about meeting with the ones you selected?"

Kane smirked. "Extend an invitation."

Cu Chulainn arched an eyebrow. "Is it wise to reveal our position like that?"

Kane's smirk disappeared. "No. That's why we will be designating a meeting area well away from me." He took a neatly folded map out of his pocket and spread it on the bed beside him, the slightest quiver evident in his hands.

Diarmuid drew attention to it. "Kane, are you well?"

Kane brushed him off. "I'm fine. Summoning you just took it's toll is all." He gestured to a clear spot near the center of the map. "Here, this is the park, it'll be empty late at night, and it's a clear spot, away from any buildings. It keeps collateral damage to a minimum if a fight were to break out."

Cu Chulainn nodded. "I see your point, but isn't it true that the park is full of trees? With that many hiding places, it leaves us all vulnerable to assassin."

Kane frowned. "That is true. And I don't doubt she'll hesitate to strike… Perhaps, here." He moved his finger. "This field is wide open. It's on a farmer's property, but at least, even then, contact with the mundane world is kept to a minimum."

Cu Chulainn nodded. "I like it."

"Very well." Kane went to the window and called down a large raven, weaving a spell over it, making it into his familiar for a short while. The Raven took flight, and Kane closed the window. "That should deliver the invitation well enough."

Abeytu lifted his head from the book he was reading as a scratching at his window made itself known outside his window. There was a thud and a strangled cawing sound, then one of his servants appeared before him, a raven struggling in his grasp.

"I found this outside." The servant stated. "A spy?"

Abeytu's lips curled into a cat-like grin. "No. A messenger. Let him go. It's from Kane."

The tall man released the raven, which fluttered to Abeytu's shoulder and lovingly tugged at his hair. "Kane, the man you wanted to ally with?"

Abeytu scratched the bird's feathers. "The very same. Let's see what he has to say." Abeytu picked up the bird, turning it onto it's back, and gently stroking its chest when it struggled. "Shh." The raven let out a raucous caw, but stilled, allowing Abeytu to use magic to extract the message. The young man grinned. "Perfect." He said. Then picked up the bird, returned to the window, opened it, and released the raven.

Saika startled as her shutters burst open and the raven bumbled into the room, it's rough cries filling the air. The small girl raised her hands over her head as the bird began to dive bomb her. "Caster!"

An inhumanly tall figure appeared, long blond hair floating about him in a gravity defying manner. He reached out and grabbed the bird. "It's a familiar, Mistress."

"Well I gathered that much, thanks." Saika retorted. "What does it want? Surely if it were spying it would be more sneaky."

"He's carrying a message." A shorter man with copper hair appeared.

Saika snapped her gum, tapping her lip with her pencil. "What does it say?"

"Do you know a man named Kane Tohsaka?"

"Not personally. The Tohsaka family is famous though."

"He's asking, very politely, I might add, for a meeting on the outskirts of town."

Saika pursed her lips, thinking for a moment, as she went to the window and held the shutters open for the bird as it wriggled free of Caster's grasp, circled the room once again, and flew out the window. "I'll accept his invitation." Saika decided.

The first Caster finally spoke. "Is that wise, young lady?"

Saika curled her lip. "Don't call me that, you sound like my mother. And I'll make my own choices, thanks. I don't need you to second guess me."

Damascus lay in bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. How had it all come to this? Of course, he supposed, it wasn't much of a surprise. When his father had died, he'd known somewhere deep down, that fighting the war would fall to him. However, he'd hoped, somehow, that the war would never come, or that his uncle would take up the mantle, or perhaps one of his sisters, or his mother. Even though he knew he was the most powerful mage in the family. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but it hadn't stopped him. He didn't even blink as the female Rider walked into the room, a raven perched on her arm. "As message for you sir."

"What?" He said in a harsh, irritable tone.

"It's from the Tohsaka heir, sir. He wants to meet outside of town tonight."

"Fine." Mask quipped, not in the mood to argue.

"May I take my leave sir?" The woman asked.

"Yes, you are dismissed." Mask said blandly.

The woman walked out of the room, and released the Raven into the sky.

"Hmmm, interesting, most interesting…" the master of the assassin's spoke. The tall servant let go of his coat, the scrying glass hidden once again from view. "Kiiiiiill?" It asked.

"Yes, my sweet." The voice said. "But not yet. We'll wait until they're all in one spot, then poison the well."

The more animalistic servant burbled in the background, holding a shrivelled apple that couldn't have been more than a day old, was was now mushy and rotten.

Night fell, and Kane made his way discreetly to center field. It was time for the meeting. There was a rustle in the brush to his right, and he instinctively ducked to one side before whirling and lashing out at the figure beside him. Abeytu deflected his punch with a forearm. "Easy there tiger. I got your message."

Kane laughed, before tackling Abeytu in a bear hug. "I'm glad you came." He said.

Abeytu smirked. "It's the least I could do. I owe you one."

A brief glow filled the clearing, and a younger girl cleared her throat. "Kane?"

Kane turned to her. "You must be Saika. Thank you for coming. We're just waiting on one more now."

There was a soft whinny, and a white horse trotted up to them, A barely clothed, but regal woman sat upon it, and behind her, with one arm about her waist, was Damascus. He let go, and slid down off the horse. His servant looked to him for permission, and when he nodded at her, she vanished in a puff of blue glowflies.

Kane looked about the group. "I gathered you all here today, to discuss an alliance. I know that it is likely very few of you, if any, see me as threatening, and believe this is probably a ploy to cover my ass in the future. I will put all your worries to rest by saying, That is the truth." Kane paused, gathering his thoughts. "But I'm willing to bet, that the rest of you also recognize that the Berserkers, Archers, and Assassins are very threatening at the moment. Look around at each other. Tell me, do you see anyone that you would never consider trusting."

Abeytu shook his head. "If you trust them, brother, then so will I."

Damascus was silent, likely analyzing all their abilities.

Saika piped up. "What makes any of you trustworthy?"

Kane shrugged. "Perhaps you'd like to face Berserker alone?"

Saika opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again.

Kane nodded. Then looked pointedly at Damascus. "Does anyone have a direct objection to this alliance?"

Damascus shook his head. "Very well then, I suggest, until at least Berserker and Assassin are out of play, we look to each other as allies."

Kane frowned as Diarmuid's voice entered his mind. "Kane, something's wrong. We are being watched."

Kane looked about to his fellow mages. "We're not alone."


	3. Chapter 3

The four mages all turned their backs to each other, facing outwards, looking for the threat. However, we could see nothing. As the silence continued, all of the eight servants materialized. It was irrational, but all of them felt fear. Despite the fact that they surely had whatever it was outnumbered at least four to one, in the middle of an open field, they all felt cornered.

There was an odd hissing noise, and the air filled with a sickeningly sweet apple scent.

Saika gagged. "Guys, guys, I can't breathe." Her voice was faint.

Damascus brought his hands up to weave a barrier spell, and found he couldn't remember how. And abruptly, he couldn't remember anything.

Abeytu reached over closing his hand over Kane's arm. Kane didn't blink, listening as Abeytu's voice pervaded his thoughts. "Don't breathe."

Saika was out cold, and a moment later, Damascus hit the ground. Kane pulled his shirt up over his nose, but found that his thoughts were still growing hazy. "My mana is blocked… I can't…"

A sticky sweet voice called out through the field, "You owe me a life, Kane Tohsaka."

Kane sent a mental note to Abeytu. " _She's here for me. You should take the others and go."_

" _Absolutely not. She's here for you. For that very reason, you should leave."_ Abeytu shot back.

" _What good is that? When she discovers it's not me, she'll kill you anyway out of anger!"_

" _Does either of your servants bare a holy light or holy fire noble phantasm?"_

Kane growled in frustration. " _No."_

" _Mine does. She can burn off the gas, and the light will reveal the location of Assassin. You know Assassin doesn't stand a chance against a Saber."_

" _And how do you expect to convince her I haven't left the premises?"_ Kane snapped.

Abeytu paused, thinking quickly. " _I'll need to borrow your voice."_

" _What?"_

" _Just come here."_

Kane turned to face Abeytu. Before he could even register what was happening, Abeytu's mouth was against his. Kane's mind went blank.

" _Kane."_

Kane pulled away. " _Sorry."_ He turned towards the two collapsed figures of Damascus and Saika. He pulled Saika into his arms, and mentally called out to his Lancers. Cu Chulainn materialized and threw Damascus over his shoulder.

The voice echoed through the fog once again. "You can't hide from me, Tohsaka!"

Abeytu looked over his shoulder to see that Kane and the others were out of the way, then shouted in Kane's borrowed voice, "Who's hiding? Come and get me, you bitch!"

Kane deposited Saika on one of the beds in a guest bedroom, and Cu Chulainn did the same in a different room for Damascus.

Kane sat at the foot of Saika's bed. He tried to hold the pretense that he was keeping an eye on her, but in truth, he just needed to sit down, and her bed was the closest thing to him. Cu Chulainn reentered the room. "So. A 'friend' huh?"

Kane rubbed his face. "What?"

Cu Chulainn smirked. "That kid. I thought you said he was a friend."

Kane looked confused. "He is."

Cu Chulainn, shrugged. "Then let me just be the first to tell you, friends don't usually kiss each other."

Kane's face went pink. "It was for a spell!"

"Uh huh. Sure. You seemed really into it."

Kane crossed his arms across his arms across his chest. "So what if I fancied him in high school? It doesn't matter now."

"It sure seemed like it mattered to you."

Diarmuid materialized. "Cu Chulainn, why do you insist on harassing our master?"

Cu Chulainn tilted his head. "I'm bored. What else do you suggest I do?"

"Go for a walk."

Cu Chulainn pouted. "You're no fun."

There was a small noise from the bed, and Kane turned to see Saika starting to wake up. She startled when she looked around and didn't recognize her surroundings. "Where am I?" She asked.

Kane spoke up. "I'm sorry, I didn't know where you lived, so I brought you back to my house."

"What happened?"

"You and Damascus passed out pretty quick, Assassin gassed us, or something. Abeytu used himself as bait to give us all the chance to escape."

"Is he alright?"

Kane looked down at his hands. "I don't know."

Silence pervaded the room like a thick incense for a moment or two.

"What time is it?"

Kane looked at his watch. "About midnight."

Saika nodded. "I think it's best if I go home."

"Are you sure? it might be better for us to stick together, incase she decides to pick us off one by one."

Saika shook her head. "After that, I just want to go home."

Kane shrugged. "Well, I can't force you to stay."

"Thanks." Saika stood, and looked around as if getting her bearings, then disappeared in a soft gleam of light, the same way she had appeared in the field.

Kane ran his hands through his hair, realizing he should probably check to see if Damascus was awake. As he walked into the opposite guestroom, it was apparent that Mask wouldn't be moving anytime soon. The woman who'd been riding with him in the field appeared in a burst of blue fireflies. "Permission to tell his family where he is, SIR."

Kane nodded. "Granted." The woman burst into fireflies again, and faded away.

Cu Chulainn clicked his tongue. "I like her."

Kane brushed the comment aside. "Well, I trust the other Rider isn't far. We should probably leave him to sleep."

When Kane woke up the next morning, it was with a distinct reluctance. He could feel a subtle ache in his limbs, as if he had been drained sometime in the night. In fact, it was possible that he had been. The magic fog that had rolled in was nothing he was familiar with, and it was quite possible that it had abilities he was unaware of. As he rolled onto his side, there was a disgruntled yowl, and he opened his eyes to find a black cat clinging to it's balance on his chest. He was suddenly alert. "Winx? Is that you?" The cat seemed to smile at him and let out a happy "Prt!" noise. Kane squished the cat to his chest. "Oh thank god." The cat growled at him, and he let go. "Is Abeytu alright?" It was rare to see the loyal familiar away from his master's side, and if Abeytu wanted to get threw to him, the rugged stray would certainly be his first method of communication. The cat made a second cheerful "Prt!" sound, and then stood. Jumped off the bed, and jumped onto the windowsill, pawing at it as if to say his job was done. Kane got up, and opened the window for him, smiling as the cat made a beeline towards Abeytu's neck of the woods.

Abeytu tensed as he heard a scratching at the window, and then Winx squeezed in through the small opening, and Abeytu once again leaned back into the pillows of his bed, a soft pained noise escaping him, but he raised his hand to stroke the cat on his lap anyway. The male saber, pale, with ebony hair, materialized. "Mordred." Abeytu greeted him. "How is she?"

Mordred pursed his lips, "Not good I'm afraid."

"Damn." Abeytu let his head thud against the wall, and winced. "Do you know anything I can do to improve the situation?"

Mordred paused. "I know one thing that might help… but, you're not gonna like it."

Giselle flipped through the channels on her television. "Apparently, a gas leak caught Old Man Yama's whole field on fire."

The taller servant in a hat appeared so abruptly he almost startled her. "What kind of gas leak?"

Giselle flipped back a few channels, to the footage of the bright white flames, leaping up to 20 feet in the air was being broadcast. "Oh, you know, the kind that entails Holy Fire."

The smaller, red headed Archer materialized on the couch with her, his head in her lap. She wanted to scold him, but felt she would be wasting her breath. After all, he wasn't hurting her. "Would this also be one of those incidents labelled, 'Freak Gas Leak' and swept quickly under the carpet by the Feds?"

"Yes, it would."

"Hmm." He almost purred. "Looks like we missed the opening battle. Any chance we have instant replay on these things?"

Giselle perked up, eager for a chance to show off what she'd been studying these past years. "Actually-" She clapped her hands, and a small crystal ball appeared. "I had a familiar watching, and, recorded it all in this scrying glass."

The taller Archer made a noise of approval, and Giselle felt a fuzzy feeling of pride settle in her chest. She began to show her two archers the battle she had captured.

"Most interesting." The tall one said. "It would appear, that this was a very skilled attempt at an Assassination. One master almost eliminated four others from the playing field on the first night. He just struggles a bit with the Sabers. Perhaps, if we were to lend him our assistance…"

Saika lay quietly in bed, not sure what to think of the 'allies' she had met. She would feel much better about them if she knew they wouldn't turn on her the moment Berserker and Assassin were done for. It wasn't a secret, caster's reputation. He was always a powerful adversary, and if she couldn't take them all on, she knew she would be defeated, and possibly dead, within the week. Though both Kane and Abeytu seemed like honorable foes, that would at least give her a grace period to regain her footing, she was not at all sure about this "Damascus" fellow, and felt that the Matou girl, though at the moment being still a wild card, was a very real threat. "Damn it." She muttered under her breath. "This was all a big mistake anyhow."


	4. Chapter 4

Damascus had woken in Kane's guestroom, and found he would rather take a break from his family than face them right now. Upon asking the taller boy, Kane had agreed that he could stay. Damascus thought the other boy was far too trusting of him, whether or not they had an alliance, but he didn't intend to launch an attack. In fact, he would have remained in bed all day, had something not caught the attention of one of his servants.

The tan, dark haired man materialized. "There's something in the courtyard."

Damascus sat up, walking to the window. "It's an old woman. Maybe it's Kane's grandmother."

"Sir, she's a master."

Damascus frowned. "The why can't I sense it?"

His servant shrugged. "Perhaps she's masking it."

"Whatever her reason for being here, I doubt it's friendly. We should warn Kane."

"Boudica already has, sir."

Damascus curled a lip. "I heard she also asked him for permission to inform my parents of my location as well. Who does she think she is? Acting with another master's permission? _I'm_ her master! And besides, she should know better than to compromise my family's safety, just to tell them where I am."

The male Rider didn't meet Mask's eyes. "I'm sure she meant well."

"Tch." Damascus was in a mood. And he didn't feel like being patient.

Abruptly, a knock came on the door, and Kane walked into the room. "She's the master of the Berserkers. We should watch our step. I don't think we should face her alone. I'm calling Abeytu and Saika."

Kane raised two fingers to his temple, and abruptly, a black cat materialized on the bed. "Hey Winx." Kane strode over to the cat, running a hand down it's back and whispering something in it's ear. The cat made a pleased, "Prt!" sound as if to say, "Got it!" and disappeared again.

Kane straightened. "Lancer." Diarmuid appeared before him. "Notify Saika of our Predicament, try to do it without Berserker being aware of your absence." Diarmuid nodded, and dematerialized.

With nothing else to do, Damascus looked Kane up and down, trying to decide how powerful the boy actually was. The Tohsaka's, of course, had always produced some of the most powerful mages in Japan. But sometimes, history lied. If Kane was so powerful, why had he summoned the Lancers? Surely if he had enough mana to feed a Saber or an Archer, he would have chosen one of them instead. The Lancers had a reputation for being weak, and too honorable for a fight between backstabbers. Perhaps it was because he genuinely was a fluke in the family, who wasn't as strong as the others, or perhaps, it was his intention that everyone underestimated him. But it seemed reckless to clip his own wings, if he lost both servants, it was possible he could be knocked out of the war. He was either a weak player, or a gambler.

"She's looking at us."

Damascus followed Kane's line of sight out the window. The old woman had indeed turned her head in their direction and was staring at them eerily.

"Why don't you boys come down? Granny brought cookies!" She called up from the ground. She still hadn't moved an inch from her position.

Kane arched a winged eyebrow. "A proposal for an alliance? Or a trap?"

Damascus tilted his head, long black hair falling over his shoulder. "Definitely a trap. See how she hasn't moved any closer? She's acting like a lure."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps she suspects us of having a trap set for her."

"Well she'd be right."

Damascus started to turn. But Kane smirked, and grabbed his arm, keeping him facing the window. "Don't tip her off. It's Abeytu."

"Won't see be able to sense his presence?"

"The entire house is masked. For all she knows, I could have an army in here."

"Perfect." Saika's voice sounded from behind them. "Let's press that advantage."

Kane didn't turn around. "You have a strategy in mind?"

Saika sighed. "I didn't want to reveal my noble phantasms if I didn't have to, pardon me for not trusting you. But it would seem if we are to beat this new threat, we'll have to pool our resources, and to do that, we'll have to know each other's abilities." She paused, but was met with only silence. "Very well, I'll go first. My casters specialize in illusionary magic. One can control emotions using sound, the other can create multiple reality marbles, and trap his enemies in story worlds of his choosing."

Abeytu followed. "I have an anti army Holy Fire noble phantasm, and an anti personnel shadow steal noble phantasm."

Kane went next, turning his head just slightly, so it would be harder for the woman in the courtyard to read his lips. "Anti army, reverses cause and effect, and a magic reversal phantasm, and an unhealable single strike phantasm."

 _Three phantasms?_ Damascus thought to himself. _Perhaps I have underestimated him._

He realized it was his turn to reveal his hand and wrinkled his nose. It wasn't like he felt he had any chance of winning, but revealing his trump card seemed like a stupid idea. He bit his tongue, before beginning to speak. "One of my riders has invulnerability. The other, divination."

Saika pondered the information given to her. "Unfortunately, we don't even know what her servants look like."

"I do." Said Kane. "One of them is very large, wears Roman armor. The other… looks Greek. Possibly. He's blindfolded, has the wings of an eagle, and tail of a lion."

Saika nodded. "Roman and Greek Berserkers. Unfortunately, that doesn't actually tell us much. There were so many Roman and Greek heros."

Kane nodded in agreement. "Sorry."

"So what's our move?" Abeytu questioned.

Kane answered. "Well, from what we know, Berserker is gonna need a lot more than an anti personnel phantasm. Which means Abeytu and I are half out already. However… She doesn't know that. I'm not sure that divination does much for you either, Damascus, however, that invulnerability might. The Holy Fire, and the reversal of cause and effect… perhaps those could all be used in conjunction. Saika… you said Reality marbles… Those could be useful in limiting collateral damage. Do you have enough mana?"

Saika nodded. "Plenty."

Kane rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Honestly, though, I think Saika's emotional manipulation might be the most useful against this foe. What's the first thing everyone thinks when they hear, 'Berserker'? Anger. Am I right? So… Saika. Do you think you're strong enough to soothe a being of this caliber?"

Saika nodded again, proud to be the linchpin of this fight. "Definitely."

"Oh Booooooooys!" The woman called out to the mansion again.

She certainly had patience, Damascus had to give her that.

Kane ignored her. "Saika, are your abilities ranged?"

"To a degree. Is there a place on the roof, or a balcony I could stand on, so I can see the fight?"

"There is. So Saika will control the playing field from a little ways away. Damascus, I want you to try and focus the damage on your invulnerable servant. He can take it, right?"

"Oh trust me, he can take it."

"Good. Alright, your invulnerable servant should team up with mine and Abeytu's anti personnel servants, try to maneuver the Berserkers close to each other. Preferably in an open area. And then when I give the signal, Abeytu and my servants with Anti Army phantasms will strike simultaneously. Hopefully, will be able to nullify both servants like that."

"What about the old woman?" Damascus added. "If we don't kill her, there's a chance she could reenter the war.

"Good Question. But there are three of us mages, presuming Saika will be busy monitoring the field. Abeytu, you, and myself, ought to be enough to overpower her." Kane straightened and raised his voice. "Did all the servants get that?"

All eight servants materialized, and each nodded.

"Fanstatic. Let's go."

Kane and Damascus drew back from the window. Saika headed towards the stairs, and the other three went downstairs to the courtyard.

Abeytu tilted his head at the old woman cheerfully. "Is there anything I can get you miss?"

The woman smiled in an equally cheerful manner. "Call me Granny, Dear. And if you would all just lop off your own heads, that would be very sweet."

Her servants materialized on either side of her. "Of course, if you're unwilling…"

One was huge, well over 7 feet tall, and a wall of muscle. The other, seemed rather frail, and hovered slightly above the ground despite the fact that his wings remained folded. Abruptly, the skinny one twitched and made an odd hissing noise with his teeth. "They're doing something, Mother."

Static crackled up from the ground, and suddenly, they were not in Kane's courtyard, but Athens, Greece, thousands of years ago. The skinny Berserker whipped his head around, as if he could see, despite the fact that he was blindfolded. He let out a bloodcurdling wail, and blood seeped out from beneath his blindfold. "MOTHER!"

Granny paid him no mind, instead smirking. "A reality marble? Would you mind telling me which one of you has the sick sense of humor to pull us to this horrible place?"

"Let me kill them! I want to kill them! Killkillkill! They should burn for what they have done!" The skinny one seemed to be having some kind of attack.

The bulkier berserker seemed to be concerned for the other. "No, brother. Not burned. Crucified."

"YES! Yesyesyesyesyes. MAKE THEM SUFFER. MOOOOOOTHER!"

"Get them, my dears."

Both Berserkers lunged forward.

Damascus leapt backward. "Achilles!" The tan, dark haired rider materialised and parried the strike from the large berserker, easily ducking under the skinny one.

Abeytu and Kane both darted in opposite directions, each summoning the servant to fight alongside Achilles. "Mordred!"

"Diarmuid!"

The two tried to disappear into the shadows, leaving the servants to fight as they sought to flank the old woman. Abeytu broke the silence. "Kane, what exactly was that yesterday?"

"What?" Kane said, hoping that if he played dumb, Abeytu would drop it.

"Nevermind." Abeytu shook his head. "It's a bad time."

Kane tried to hide his relief. "Let's just focus on the task at hand."


	5. Chapter 5

It had all happened in a blur. As soon as the haunting orchestral music filled the air, everyone had found themselves in a sort of haze. Kane had heard her say manipulation of emotion, but didn't realize is would be such a carpet bomb effect. It hadn't affected only the Berserkers, is had affected everyone. With horror, Kane realized this could have been Saika's whole plan. Perhaps she _meant_ for them all to be lulled, off their guard, so she and her servants could pick them off one by one. Perhaps that had been the only reason she'd chosen to join them at all. Perhaps the target should have been Caster, and not Berserker.

He curled his lip. If he was going down, he was at least taking the Berserkers with him. As he rolled over from where he'd hit the ground, he could see both Berserkers were in a kind of daze. This was his chance. "Now!" He yelled with as much volume as he could muster.

Cu Chulainn materialized on one side, and Abeytu's Saber on the other. The auburn haired saber brought her sword up over her head, and swept it down. Cu Chulainn leapt into the air on the other side, and threw his spear. Simultaneously, the two shouted their weapon's names.

"Gae Bolg!"

"Saint Catherine!"

Holy Fire met the explosive force of Cu Chulainn's spear. For a moment, everything was silent, but for the haunting violins. Then the explosion ripped through the ears of all who were near. When the blinding light cleared, and the heat faded, both Berserkers were on the ground, severely injured. The skinny one had Cu Chulainn's spear bursting through his chest, and both had very severe burns. They both seemed almost not to feel it. But then Saika's music faded, and both began to writhe in pain. The old woman came out of her daze, and saw the state of her servants just as they began to fade away. "Spartacus! Oedipus!" She whirled on Abeytu and Kane. "How DARE you!"

Kane struggled to his feet, still dazed by the music. "Damascus!"

The woman raised her hand to cast a fire spell in Abeytu's direction. Abeytu was still deliriously struggling to his feet. Kane lunged at the woman, raising his fist. "Anima Percutiam!" He focused all his mana into his hand, hoping the punch would at least knock her unconscious. The woman moved far too quickly for someone of her age. She brought both hands up, and caught his punch, forcing his hand backwards with unexpected strength, until his wrist gave a sickening crack, and Kane yelled.

The elderly woman flung him away from her with a flick of her wrist, and turned back towards Abeytu, who was now alert. Realizing that if Kane, who was a skilled martial artist, had been bested by her, he himself did not stand a chance at close range. He fell back. Pulling his hand up to toss a curse in her direction. The curse was weak already, but the woman dodged it, rushing closer to her.

"Abeytu!" His female servant called his name in distress, but stumbled and couldn't find the strength to move, letting out an unhappy cry as she dematerialized.

The woman drew closer to Abeytu, zipping this way and that, while Abeytu backpedalled as quickly as he could. Just as her fingers closed around his shirt, there was an unsettling "Thwack!" as the butt of Boudica's spear slammed into the side of her face. The woman was stunned for a moment, but that was more than enough time for Achilles to restrain her.

"You're all fools!" She spat at them, infuriated. "Throwing your lives away for frivolous wishes!"

Damascus strode forward, straightening to his full height before her. "Do not pretend to know our wishes, you Hag."

Giselle sat on a roof, watching the scene from afar. "I sense a reality marble." Said her darker servant.

Giselle scanned the area again, spotting a young, white haired girl on the roof a few houses away. "She must be the source. Robin, you know what to do."

The redheaded archer grimaced. "I don't like this at all. She's just a little girl."

"Robin Hood."

Robin put down his bow. "I won't. I know you're just afraid of Assassin. Why don't we talk to this girl and her allies? Perhaps they could help."

"I'M NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING." Giselle yelled. Then she raised her hand, activating a command seal. "As your master I command you. Kill the girl."

Robin Hood glared reproachfully at her, then materialized his longbow, and let the arrow fly.

Saika felt a stabbing pain in her chest, and looked down to find an arrow buried there, her blue shirt quickly turning red with blood. She winced. After all that mistrust, it hadn't been her allies that had betrayed her after all. Half of her was relieved that she'd never have to face them, and half of her was disappointed in herself that she would be the first to die. She coughed as the blood began to seep into her lungs. "What a waste." She said to herself, and then fell, slipping towards the edge of the roof.

Damascus frowned as the reality marble around them flickered, and then disappeared. He turned just in time to see Saika tumble off the edge of the roof. In a burst of speed, he somehow managed to catch her before she hit the ground, but the girl, who couldn't have been more than fourteen years of age, was already dead. "Saika…"

A maniacal laughter sounded behind him. "The girl is dead, isn't she?"

Damascus straightened, his aura practically burning with the fires of hell. "You motherless scum bitch. You did this. DIDN'T YOU?!" Damascus raised his hands, hovering a few inches in the air, his eyes shifting to glow an infernal gold color. His voice was now reverberating and bouncing around from odd angles. "Achilles, Boudcia. Get out of my way." The two servants fearfully drew back. Just as Damascus raised his hands to rain hellfire upon the courtyard, he froze in place. He snarled, glaring at the old woman. "What did you do."

The woman cackled and flicked her wrist, slamming Damascus back against the wall. "I believe," she began, "that there are some servants without a master, and I just so happen to be a master, without servants. Are you coming, you two?"

Saika's two casters appeared. The shorter, redheaded one, seemed ashamed. He looked at Kane, his elf like ears drooping. "I'm sorry." He said. And with that, all three beings vanished.

Damascus was dropped to the ground, his demeanor returning to normal. He pushed himself to his hands and knees, then turned to face Saika's lifeless form. He numbly placed one hand on her shoulder, wrapping the other around the arrow in her chest. He yanked it free, tossing it aside. Silence hung in the air for another moment or two, before Damascus broke it with an enraged yell as he aimed a punch at the brick wall of Kane's mansion. Abeytu approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Damascus stared at his bloody and scraped knuckles almost as if he didn't notice them. "She was the same age as my sisters." He said in a broken voice.

Kane worked his way to his feet, gingerly cradling his broken wrist against his chest. "I think we ought to give her a proper burial."

Abeytu nodded. "Someone should tell her family."

Kane lowered his gaze. "She didn't have one. She was from Fuyuki Orphanage. Her parents died in a car crash when she was 12."

There was silence among the three for a while. Damascus finally broke the silence a second time. He looked pointedly at Kane's arm. "I can heal that, if you want."

Kane knelt down. "Oh, thanks."

Damascus reached out and gingerly touched Kane's wrist. The swelling immediately went down, and there was a hair raising crackling noise, which had Kane hissing in pain, but afterwards, he opened and closed his hand, then his shoulders relaxed. "Healing is a rather rare gift these days… where did you learn?"

Damascus gave a half hearted laugh. "Actually, I was just a really clumsy kid. When my father got sick, my mother had to split her time between home and the hospital. Since she couldn't always be there to look out for me, she taught me how to patch myself up."

Abeytu straightened, the slightest tremble visible in his legs. Kane and Damascus also stood, and Kane reached out to put a hand on Abeytu's arm. "Are you hurt?" He asked.

Abeytu shook his head. "I'm fine. Just a bit drained. Don't worry about it. We need to do something for Saika.

Damascus bent, and picked up the tiny girl in his arms. He looked at Kane. "What do you suggest?"

"We can bury her on my property. Here." The two followed him as Kane walked around to the back of the mansion, where a beautiful garden was planted. "Right in the center."

Despite their mutual exhaustion, all the boys pitched in to dig Saika a proper grave, and when she had been properly buried, Damascus looked about the garden. "Is it alright, if I pick her some flowers?"

Kane nodded. "By all means." Even though Damascus had been the one to suggest it, each of them gathered a bouquet of flowers, and through some careful spell weaving, had soon blanketed the freshly disturbed earth in a mat of all variety of blossoms.

When They had finished, Damascus sat cross legged at the foot of the grave. "I'm sorry, that none of us were able to know you, before you passed. You put your trust in us, and in the end, we failed. Please forgive us for our ineptitude."


	6. Chapter 6

After the events of the day before Kane decided it was best to lie low. He wished he could say is was for strategic reasons, but in reality, he was just exhausted. It was now noon, and he still had not gotten out of bed, except to make some breakfast.

He sighed and rolled over, pulling the blankets over his head. Perhaps this was more than he could handle. His family had been a part of the holy grail wars since the beginning. He'd figured that he was one of the more powerful mages. But he supposed he had made the decision almost entirely on his own, and his parents, aside from pointing him in the direction of magic, had not been a very strong influence on his life. A few years ago, they had gone overseas on a kind of holiday, and he'd never heard from them again. By now, he assumed they were dead. It had been difficult, at first, but the house had belonged to his family, and thus had no payment attached to it. His parents had left him a fortune, so food wasn't an issue, and he'd learned to drive on his own long before they left. So after a month or two of floundering, he'd found ways to keep himself afloat with little to no effort.

His mind wandered to the girl buried in his backyard. Had she had pleasant memories of her parents? She would have been barely into junior high when they'd died.

Kane had graduated from school the previous year. He'd decided to take a year off before progressing to a famous magic school, specifically for the purpose of seeking the grail. He'd always had a sort of curiosity about it, having heard about it in whispers from older mages. But one February, a few years earlier, it had become the focus of his every waking thought, and most of his dreams.

August 28th, 2100.

Kane sat at his desk to eat lunch most days. He supposed he could go to the cafeteria, or even the roof, if he wanted to. But the clique he liked to hang out with had decided it was cool to stay in the classroom. One of the guys laughed boisterously. "Hey, Tohsaka! What do you think of that Tsukika girl?"

Kane smiled blandly. "Why do you ask?"

The boy elbowed him, causing Kane to drop the rice that was in his chopsticks. "Because she's always staring at you! I bet she likes you."

Kane calmly picked up the rice that had been dropped, and put it in his mouth. "What do you think I should do about it, Kotoshiro?"

The boy laughed. "That plain little lowborn? You should crush her soul."

Kane frowned, "Why would I do that?"

The smile vanished from Kotoshiro's face. "Because if you don't, I'll tell everyone who you really are."

Kane paled, and avoided the topic for the rest of the month.

October 13th, 2100.

While he was on break, he was pulled aside by a short girl, with her long blue hair done up in pigtails. She was blushing, it took me a moment to put my finger on her name. "Tsukika?"

"You can call me Momo." She said, her voice so small I almost couldn't hear it.

"Is there something you needed? Help with the homework?"

She refused to meet his eyes, and shook her head. "Kane…"

"Yeah?"

"I really like you."

Kane put his hand on the back of his head, trying to think of a gentle way to explain. Then he heard Kotoshiro's laughter coming from across the hall. He glanced over, and saw the whole clique staring at him. Koto's threat from a few months earlier resurfaced in his mind. He straightened up, looking down his nose at Momo. His voice icy, he said. "I could never love someone like you."

Momo stiffened. Kane saw tears begin to roll down her cheeks. Then she took off running down the hall. Kotoshiro's guffaws could be heard tagging along at her heels. Kotoshiro punched Kane's arm. "Well done."

Kane quelled the sick feeling in his stomach. That was the last straw. He had to stop hanging out with this bastard.

February 14th, 2101.

They were in the middle of first period. It was chilly outside, and there was a light powdering of snow, which when beautifully with the blossoms of the sakura trees.

"Now, can anyone tell me the asymptote of Y=-" The teacher was cut off, mid sentence, as the door banged open. There, standing in the doorway, was Momo Tsukika. Her face was completely blank, almost as if she was dead.

The teacher looked at her crossly. "Miss Tsukika. You have interrupted my lesson. Please wait in the hall."

Momo's eyes flicked in the Teacher's direction, then back to the rest of the room, skimming over her classmates until she saw Kane, watching her with a mild concern on his face. "You. It's your fault. You made me do it."

The teacher stood. "Miss Tsukika-"

Momo lifted one, quivering hand. The pistol in it shook slightly as she leveled it at Kane.

Kane froze.

Tears welled up in Momo's eyes. "Why did you say that?! Why did you make me do it?!"

Kane spoke slowly and deliberately, hoping to call the near hysterical girl down. "Say what, Momo? I'm not making you do anything. Please put down the gun."

At his words, Momo moved suddenly, bringing the gun up under her own chin, and pulling the trigger. Blood splattered across the wall behind her, as her body hit the ground with a thud.

Someone screamed. Kane realized later, that it had been him.

Damascus had returned home after the fight with berserker, despite his previous anger at Boudica, he supposed his family did deserve to at least know he was alright. However, despite his safe return, the dinner table was awkwardly silent. When Damascus left to head to his room after depositing his dish in the sink, no one stopped him. He was almost disappointed. This was how it had been since his Father had died, but he hoped at least his joining of the Grail Wars would at least bring up some conversation.

He'd been raised being spoon fed stories of his great great grandfather, Waver Velvet. Supposedly, Waver had lived long enough to see Damascus born, but hadn't lived much longer past Mask's first birthday. At first, he had looked up to the man as a hero. Practically idolized him. And then someone finally broke the news to him, that despite all the stories, Waver had lost the holy grail war. Around the same time, his father had fallen very ill, and Damascus became aware, that fighting in the next war would fall to him. His hopeful outlook on life had bottomed out at that moment. If even his great great grandfather had failed, how could he possibly win? But he couldn't confide in his mother, she was far too worried about his father's dwindling health, and his twin sisters were the babies of the family, he couldn't take any attention she might have been able to spare away from them. As a result, he'd barricaded himself in his room for most of his teenage life. And when he'd come out, he'd always kept his emotions under strict lockdown. He didn't want them to worry about him, at first, but by now, it had just become habit to shut people out.

Abeytu stumbled through the front door to his flat, collapsing face first into the bed. He hurt all over. He hadn't realized this would put such a strain on him. "Sir." Mordred materialized. He paused, as if waiting for permission, but when he realized Abeytu was too weak to even nod, he reached over, and dragged the young man fully into bed.

"Is she alright?" Abeytu asked, not unlike he had the first night.

Mordred nodded. "She'll be fine. But right now, I think it's more important that we worry about you. You're exhausted. Just, lie down, I'll bring you another potion."

Abeytu grimaced. "Do I really have to take them?"

"You'll both die if you don't."

"But I already feel weaker every day."

"It's just a side effect, milord. Rest. When you wake up, you'll feel right as rain."

"Fine, give it here." Abeytu took the slightly glowing bottle from Mordred's hand, pinched his nose with one hand and swallowed it all in one go, trying not to gag from the greasy texture combined with the bitter flavor. He felt his consciousness start to fade, and before he knew it, he was out, falling back against the pile of his pillows, the small vial slipping from his hand and shattering against the floor.

Mordred caringly adjusted Abeytu into a more comfortable position, and tugged the blankets out from under him, and then over him.

"You're so good to him." Came the disembodied voice of Abeytu's second saber.

"It's my duty."

"Oh shut up. You sound like me."

"You like him, don't you?"

"What? Of course I like him. He's my master. If I didn't, I'd just make things complicated for everyone, like someone else I know."

Mordred chuckled to himself at her quip, but didn't rise to take the bait.


	7. Chapter 7

Giselle woke the next morning with a throbbing headache. She… she couldn't remember anything. She dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, wishing the throbbing would stop. She felt dizzy and delirious as well. "Oh god." She muttered, reaching to the bedside table without opening her eyes and digging around for the painkillers she kept there. She was too pained to even go to get a glass of water, so she took them dry, and then lay down and pulled the blanket over her head, groaning in pain. That's when she realized, she still had to go to work today. Giselle whimpered, then made up her mind, reaching over for her phone, and dialing her office's number. She was too sick to come in today. As the phone rang, she caught sight of Robin across the room, staring at her reproachfully. "What?" She asked him with a disgruntled tone.

"You are a disgrace." He spoke quietly, then turned his back on her.

"What did I do?" Giselle quipped back.

"What did you do?! Where do I start?!" Robin gave her a disgusted look.

At that moment, the phone on the other line gave a click, signifying that it had been answered.

Giselle held up a finger, as if to say, "Hold that thought." "Yes? Hello, this is Giselle, I'm sorry, I need to call in sick-" Her voice trailed off as a faint whispering in some kind of ancient language was heard on the other line. For a moment, she was confused, then, her eyes glazed over, and she answered in a dull monotone, "Yes, of course." She dropped the phone on the bed, not even bothering to turn it off.

A new voice echoed through the speakers. "Hello? Who's there? Excuse me? Who's calling? Is anyone there?" Giselle pushed the blankets aside, slowly standing, revealing herself to be fully clothed, as if she had not even bothered to undress the night before. She picked up a trench coat from the coat rack on the wall, throwing it about her shoulders and pulling it on with a flourish, despite her oddly mechanical movements. She didn't even look around the room to see if her servants were present. Without further explanation, she said, "Let's go." She took three slow steps forward, then pushed open her window, stepped out onto the balcony, and climbed onto the railing. Without looking down, she jumped, falling two stories to the ground and landing on all fours with a terrifying crushing sound. As she leapt into the air again, a small crater like indent could be seen where she had landed. Mid leap, she disappeared for a split second, then reappeared 10 feet to the right, perched on the top edge of a neighboring roof, her coat fluttering about her.

Kane sat on his bed near his two servants, pondering the fight with the Berserker's master two days previously. Before him were spread sheets and sheets of paper, each detailing all the info they knew on this so called, "Granny". "It doesn't make sense." He said to the room at large for what was probably nearing the millionth time. "Everything here points to her being from a lowborn, weak, mage family. Apparently their blood was so diluted by this point in time that the only thing they were known for was their excellent green thumb. No new mage blood has been introduced for over one hundred years, and according to everything I can find on her, 'Margaret Wells' hasn't done anything magic related or enhancing her entire life."

Diarmuid, who was sitting cross legged on the opposite end of the bed, pressed his thumb to his lips. "On another note, did anything about that fight seem overly clean cut to you? Almost as if she lost the Berserkers on purpose? As if she knew she would be facing four mages instead of two?"

Cu Chulainn leaned over Kane's shoulder, unwittingly making the younger man slightly uncomfortable. "Yes, and did you notice how Saika's death opened up the position of the master of the Casters within minutes of Ol' Marge losing the Berserkers?"

"And yet," Kane continued, trying to ignore the body heat rolling off of Cu Chulainn in waves, "When Saika was killed, I didn't sense a rise in mana output by Margaret. Almost as if Saika was…"

"Assassinated." Diarmuid finished his sentence.

"That could be…" Cu Chulainn returned, suddenly noticing the effect he was having on Kane and keeping his oblivious pretense as he leaned closer to the boy. "But haven't we faced Assassin before? If he could use arrows, why didn't he just shoot us then?"

Diarmuid's eyes widened. "Do you think perhaps we are also facing Archer?"

"That could be," Cu Chulainn continued "Or perhaps Assassin just WANTS us to think we're also facing Archer."

Kane had lost track of the conversation, and was now completely red in the face.

Diarmuid, oblivious to Cu Chulainn's antics, blinked at him. "Kane, are you alright?"

"You're squishing me." Kane said to Cu Chulainn in a very tiny voice.

Cu Chulainn burst out into peals of raucous laughter. "You're fun." He chuckled, giving Kane a light shove before removing himself from the boy's space bubble.

Assassin's master sat on a boulder near the back of the cave she shared with the two servants. In her hands was a small, gold picture frame, and in the frame, was a picture of a young man with light brown hair and green eyes. "He was so beautiful, back then." She said quietly. Tracing the neckline of his blue school uniform with a fingertip.

The animal like servant crawled toward her. "Beautiful? What is beautiful?" It said in its gurgling tone.

The girl answered slowly. "Sometimes, humans are. It's when you see something, and that something makes you want to smile. Sometimes, that something makes you feel like your heart is full of sunshine."

"I am not beautiful." The creature gurgled, almost sadly. "I am a monster."

The girl smiled, and reached up, ruffling the creatures puffy mop of black hair. "So am I, Johnny, so am I."

"Meeeeeeee?" Her second servant said, in its child like, whispering tone.

The girl laughed softly. "Yes, and you, Jack."

Damascus scrubbed away at last night's dishes. He had found them that morning, and it was clear that no one had done them after he'd gone to his room for the night. It was early, the sun had just breached the horizon moments ago, but he expected his sisters would soon be readying themselves for school.

He paused in his scrubbing, realizing his servants hadn't checked in with him that morning like they normally would. Concerned, he reached out with his magic. Upon being able to sense them both not too far away, he relaxed. If there was trouble, they would have warned him. Perhaps they had just decided he needed space. He had never been all that kind to him, he supposed. He rinsed the dish in his hands. Maybe he should start being kinder. After all, they did work very well as a team, and had even saved Abeytu's life, and looked out for Damascus' family, and his ally, Kane, even though Damascus himself was the only being they were required to protect.

Boudica and Achilles lay in a field a bit away from Damascus' house. Close enough to sense if something was amiss, but far enough to be mostly alone. "I didn't think I would ever see you again." Boudica's voice was soft.

Achilles ran his fingers through her fiery copper hair. "Fate is a cruel mistress. That we would be cast to live in different times, and then, when we could have the chance to see each other, placing us both as the rider class…"

Some time in the distant future, the Holy Grail had caused an anomaly in time, allowing the two servants to meet each other on earth for the first time. Neither had thought that they would see the other again, since rules normally applied that only one of each class could be summoned at a time, and both of them were Riders.

"But let's not fret about it. We're here. We have today. It's more than I ever thought I'd get." He smiled, then leaned down with a mischievous glint in his eye and buried his face in Boudica's chest. The woman laughed, bringing her hands up to push him away. Their eyes met, and they shared a smile, and then a kiss, which all too quickly became a tangle of limbs and lopsided armor.

The taller Archer sat with his back to a brick wall. On the other side of the wall, Mordred stood, examining the sword in his hand. "Are you sure you won't join us?" The Archer said. "Mordred… The Traitor. Surely you would fit right in with our crowd."

Mordred curled a lip. "I have no desire to be lumped in with your skulking ilk, Helsing."

Van Helsing chuckled. "Well, clearly, you were intrigued by the prospect, or you wouldn't have accepted my invitation."

"Invitation?" Mordred scoffed. "It is plain and simple huntsman, I came here to kill you."

"Kill me? Ah, but we're having so much fun."

"Isn't this a bit out of character for you Helsing? You sought to rip that monster Dracula to pieces, and yet here you are, allying yourself with those monsters."

Helsing laughed. "Ah but this is different, Mordred, these monsters didn't touch my woman."

"I'm somewhat jealous, you know. You're seen as the hero, and yet, you were no better than the monster. I am always known as the traitor. Possibly one of the most infamous traitors in all of ancient myth. And yet no one stopped to wonder what my mother did to me."

"Morgana?"

"Morgana is my Aunt. My mother is Morgause. See? Humanity was so deluded by my father's shining light, that they don't even remember who my mother was. Let alone what she raised me to believe. They call me a Traitor. But do they remember Uther? How he killed my mother's father, because he was blinded by the beauty of his best friend's wife?"

Helsing interrupted his rant. "You're pretty worked up about this."

Mordred was silent for a time. "Was that all you wanted from me?"

"Perhaps…" Helsing stated. "But you didn't accept my offer. And now you know of our plans. The best move would be to kill you right here and now."

Mordred tensed. "I'd like to see you try, huntsman."

Helsing laughed again. "Very well. But perhaps another day. For now, I at least know what you are doing to your master, and partner saber. That's enough for me. Even if you are not officially on our side. You are still, a very valuable playing piece."

"Thank you, I guess." Mordred replied.

"You're welcome." Helsing shot back. "Until we meet again, sir Knight." And with a dramatic whoosh of his cloak, he was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Kane had called Abeytu later that night to ask for shelter. He realized though it wouldn't probably be difficult for the new master of the Casters to find him at any point in time, it was unlikely that living in a giant mansion known well by almost the entire town helped.

Abeytu had agreed, his voice dragged down by exhaustion. When Kane had later arrived at his friend's flat, he could sense something was off about the whole place, as if the aura were generally kept in much better maintenance. But when he started to ask, Abeytu waved him off, saying in a sharp and irritated tone that he was fine. Realizing it was unwise to press the issue, Kane let it trail off, then asked Abeytu if he was in the mood for pizza. Abeytu nodded half heartedly, but when the food arrived, he only ate a few bites before looking mildly nauseated, and retiring to his room for the night.

Kane found it difficult to sleep, his mind was buzzing with curiosity about Margaret Wells. He knew the secret to her insanely strong magic must be somewhere in her house. And now that he knew where it was, he was itching to go and investigate, even though he knew it would be incredibly risky and would probably end in his death. He flipped through channels on Abeytu's TV boredly, not really paying attention to the flickering images on the screen.

His thoughts were disturbed by a quiet noise. Perhaps the encounter with Margaret had made him tense. He reached for the kinge he had hidden in his boot, keeping as still as possible as he scanned the room for intruders. When he came up with nothing, he drowned, but continued to listen. He had traced the origin of the sound to Abeytu's room, and upon hearing it again, realized it was a woman's voice. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but his mind leaped immediately to the only three remaining female mages. Assassin's master, Whose name and face remained yet unknown, Giselle Matou, the master of the Archers, and Margaret Wells, the master of the Casters. He was about to stand up and investigate when he remembered Abeytu's female saber servant. Sheathing the knife, Kane rubbed his face, trying to reassure himself that if Abeytu were in any danger, he would sense it. Then he flopped over sideways on the couch, kicking off his boots, and pulling the blankets up closer around his shoulders.

Kane didn't remember dozing off, but he must have, because he was waking up. As he opened his eyes, he cast about the room looking for what had disturbed his slumber. The first thing he noticed was the light shining through the window. Perhaps he had just woken of his own accord, with the morning. Then he caught the smell of eggs wafting in from the kitchen. Or, Perhaps it was the smell of food that had roused him. All at once, a blur of human boy sped through the room, rushing about with, was that a feather duster? Was… Was Abeytu singing? For a moment, Kane's sleep hazed mind forgot about Abeytu's gravitational manipulation magic, and startled as the blur of human sped up the wall and onto the ceiling in his sock feet. Abeytu turned around and stride rapidly towards Kane, reaching up, (or was it down?) and fluffing the other boy's face with his feather duster. "Hey. Wake up sleepy head. I think the eggs are burning." Kane struggled free of his blankets, and strode into the kitchen, digging around in the drawers for the spatula before flipping the eggs, and grabbing two plates, depositing the perfect scramble onto them, and bringing them out into the livingroom.

He was met with Abeytu, his feet still firmly on the ceiling, but the feather duster had fallen to the ground, as his hands were currently buried in his female servant's hair as the two engaged in what one could consider something akin to a "spiderman kiss". Kane cleared his throat, and the two broke away from each other, the Saber turning an incredible shade of pink before rapidly dematerializing.

"Not a word." Abeytu laughed, reversing his personal gravity and landing on his hands on the ground, walking on his palms toward Kane, then righting himself and standing up to take the plate from his friend.

"I didn't say anything." Kane said.

There was silence between them for a while as they ate peacefully, but when he had finished, Kane could no longer contain himself. "So, is that what I heard last night?" He said, grinning.

Abeytu's harsh coughs as he choked on the food in his mouth said it all.

"I know she's cute man, but Jesus. I didn't peg you to be so insatiable."

Now it was Abeytu's turn to get red in the face. "It's not like that! You don't understand."

Kane snorted. "I beg to differ."

Abeytu seemed to get slightly angry. "Do you remember when I stayed behind to face Assassin?"

"Yeah." Kane realized Abeytu was serious about this.

"Joan, well, the Assassin did something to her. My connection with her is somewhat fragmented, and now, I can't easily supply her with mana anymore. Fights like the one with berserker take a large toll on both of us."

Kane's smile, though it had been diminished before, was now completely gone as the guilt hit him. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Abeytu's visage softened. "I know, but do you think I would really defile a holy virgin like that if I didn't have no other choice?"

Kane shook his head.

The silence stood between them, giving the air an awkward stagnancy, before finally dissipating as Abeytu raised a new topic. "Have you found out anything new on Margaret Wells?"

The two casters remained dematerialized for the time being. But Margaret being away made them both more comfortable.

"I don't think we were ever properly introduced." The short, redheaded one said to the taller, blonde one. He held out his hand. "William. William Shakespeare."

The extravagantly dressed blonde took William's hand. "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart."

William smirked, his elf like ears twitching. "It seems our Saika had a taste for the finer things in life."

Mozart nodded. "It is quite a shame that she is not still with us."

William's gaze fell. "I know. I kinda liked her. Maybe she was a little mistrustful, but who could blame her? In a world as cruel as this one?"

Mozart nodded his agreement a second time. "You could have decided to refuse the woman's request. No pact can be made without both side's consent. Why did you choose to follow Margaret?"

William waved at the air dismissively. "Maybe it's stupid…" He said softly. "And reckless, with little chance of success." He paused for dramatic effect. "But I wanted at least a shot at revenge, even if the old hag kills me."

Mozart finally smiled. "It is good to know that great minds really do think alike."

William's eyebrows shot up. "Really? You planned to rebel against her too?"

"Saika was good to me. If she had been defeated honorably, I would not have stayed. Sometimes, people lose. But did you see how she was slain?"

William shook his head. "I felt it happen, but I didn't see it."

"She was killed, not by Margaret's magic, but by an Archer's arrow."

"No."

"Yes."

"That two faced, cheating…" William's hands curled into fists. "I would have expected Assassin to try something, that is his way, to skulk through the shadows, killing without showing his face, but is not Archer one of the three Knight classes?"

Mozart nodded. "He is. Archer, Lancer, and Saber. The noble knight classes."

William curled his lip. "And what business does a Knight have skulking about in back allies and trap doors?!"

"That is what I would like to know." Mozart replied.


	9. Chapter 9

The girl and her two assassin servants sat perfectly still as they watched the ripples across the surface of the small puddle change with the scrying image that was contained within it. They were all of Kane. The boy was of average height, his hair buzzed into an undercut, with the longer top part of it dyed carnation pink and turquoise blue. It was an odd look for Mages, who tended to prefer a more old fashioned appearance, despite how far things had advanced one hundred and twenty years into the future. Kane was walking about a market place in the town square. His servants clearly invisible, hidden from the public's eye.

The girl's fingers had curled into fists he knuckles white as her hands quivered with rage. Something about this boy, riled her up so much. His life belonged to her. She would be the one to feel his life blood seeping through her fingers, and she would be damned if she let anyone else get there first. She stood, her knees locked and her visage tense. "Come on you two. We have work to do." She said brusquely. Then proceeded to march her way out of the cave she had made into her home for the past few months.

Kane examined a ripe tomato proffered to him by one of the salesmen. "And you're sure this will make good salsa?" He said.

The man spoke with a strange accent, "Yes, of course, you add the cilantro, it will make the best salsa."

Kane passed him the money, and put the tomato in his basket, before continuing on his way to the next booth. He'd decided that to thank Abeytu for providing him with shelter, he would make tonight's dinner. He knew the other boy had a taste for foreign food, and so he sought to try his hand at nachos. At that moment, the hair stood up on the back of his neck, and he realized he was being watched. He began to rapidly dart through the crowd, hoping his unpredictable movements would make them lose his trail. He found himself cursing the fact that his hair was such a bright color. What he wouldn't give to have plain black hair right now. As the nagging feeling didn't subside, he sighed, setting the basket aside as he made his way through a labyrinth of twisting back ways and alleys, praying that he could at least find a place where he wouldn't be observed, and it would be unlikely that anyone not involved in the holy grail wars would be hurt.

Kane let out a string of colorful language as he found himself cornered in a dead end between two large, smoke stained brick buildings. He examined the buildings and thanked whatever god that had been listening when he saw that the windows were dark and boarded up. A girlish giggle sounded from behind him. "Oh, what is this? Little fly caught in a web?"

Kane curled his lip in a snarl and whirled on the girl, expecting Giselle Matou. When he saw who it was, he froze.

"...Momo?"

The small girl laughed wickedly. "The very same."

"But that's impossible. You… you died."

"Well, that's a very pleasant way to say that I put a bullet in my brain."

Kane flinched.

"And you're right, perhaps I shouldn't be standing here. I wouldn't be, but I had some help."

Kane didn't realize he had been slowly backing away until his back hit the wall behind him.

"But I'm not the same, I had to pay the price." The girl reached up to the zipper on her sweatshirt. She pulled it down, revealing that underneath, she was wearing nothing at all. Her torso was mutilated with scars and stitched together flesh.

Kane gagged as the stench of rot hit him.

Momo raised her eyebrows, blue hair falling forward out of her hood and over her breasts. "Oh, my apologies. That would be my intestines. You see, I'm quite dead. There are maggots in my left ear."

At the mental image, Kane felt his stomach to a slow roll, and fought desperately to keep his breakfast down.

Momo seemed to grow angry. "You know, when I first realized I'd been brought back, my first thought was of you. I wanted to try again. I wanted a second chance. I wanted to make you love me. But slowly, over a month, after my arm fell off, and I had to stitch it back on, I realized that you would care for me even less than you did then. Because what am I now, but Frankenstein's monster?"

"I'm sorry-" Kane tried to defend himself, but knew he couldn't. Not against her.

"You're SORRY? I BLEW MY BRAINS OUT BECAUSE OF YOU AND YOU'RE SORRY?! That's not good enough. I want you to suffer. As I have suffered. I want you to have your heart crushed, and then I want you to die. And then, in four years, I will dig up your grave, and I will cut you open, dig around in your insides, stitch you up, and then return you to the world of the living. And you will rot away slowly, as your skin splits open, as your organs turned to soup inside you, and you will know, that the only person that could ever understand what you're going through is me. And then? I will turn my back on you, and leave you to die again, broken and alone, because I put a bullet in my brain because of how badly you hurt me, and all you could say was "Sorry." You sad son of a bitch."

Kane snapped. "Do you even know why I'm here?! I've been suffering, guilt addled, and half crazy, for four YEARS because of what I knew I had done to you. Because it was my fault, and no one else's. Because even if I was pressured to do it, I should have stood up, for you. Because it was wrong, and I should have known better. I poured away my life, I spilled my own blood, searching high and low, to hell and back, for a way to bring you back, to atone for my sins. And the only thing I could find powerful enough to do so, was the Holy Grail itself. So I risked everything, to win the holy grail. For you."

Momo faltered, part of her seeming to want to stop. Her eyes welled up with tears. "It was you. It was your fault. I can never forgive you." She said.

Kane recoiled. "Lancer!"

Momo cracked a horrifying smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Oh, you would call to your poor serving boys to protect you? Well I'm sorry, I'm afraid they can't hear you." Momo drew closer, and pulled a dagger it's place on her belt, turning it over and over in her hand.

Kane bowed his head, resigning himself to his death. This was fair. He'd killed her, if indirectly, who better to end his life?

He didn't make a noise beyond a slight intake of breath as the dagger sank into his abdomen, somewhere below his ribs. He let a slight smile grace his lips as the pain caused his vision to fade out and he sank towards the ground, prepared for whatever she had in store for him.

Momo struggled. "No! I won't let you kill him!" She yelled. She looked down, her eyes finally seeing the pool of blood, and she felt the stickiness on her hands. She screamed, her tears spilling over. "Why?! Why him?! You could have made me kill anyone else!" She threw the knife aside and sprinted out of the alley, unable to bare the sight before her.

When Kane came to, he felt like he had been hit by a truck. He blinked, trying to bring the world around him into focus, but his eyes felt dry and full of sand. He started to raise a hand to rub at them, but someone stopped him with a firm grip on his wrist.

Damascus' voice came from somewhere to his right. "Don't, you'll re open your stitches."

"Damascus?"

The daintier boy continued. "You're lucky, we almost lost you."

Kane blinked rapidly, finally bringing at least the objects closest to him into focus. From what he could tell, he was back in his own house, in his own room in bed. He looked at Damascus. The boy's hands were bloodstained, his black hair bundled in a loose knot at the back of his neck, presumably to keep it from also getting full of blood. His lips were pressed into a firm line, as if that past few hours had been very stressful for him.

"What happened?" Kane inquired, his voice rough.

"You were stabbed. We don't know by who, but Diarmuid found you relatively quickly, and was able to bring you back here, while Cu Chulainn came to get me." Damascus smiled half heartedly. "Good thing you had two servants, huh? If you'd had only one, I wouldn't have been able to reach you in time. You would have died."

Kane nodded, still feeling light headed from the blood loss.

"So, who was it, that stabbed you?"

"Assassin's master."

Damascus' eyebrows shot up. "Really? Did you see her? Do you know who she is?"

Kane's stomach did another slow roll. "No. It all happened too fast."


End file.
